Lost Souls
by Kyrihn
Summary: Wanderer was a lost soul, and Melanie was caught in the crossfire of fate. When Wanderer is found by a hostile group of humans, both she and Melanie are broken on the outside and inside. When Jeb's group finds her and takes her in, will they be able to fix the damage? WARNINGS: abuse, non-con.
1. Prologue - New Guy in Town

A/N: Hello! Welcome to my first fan fiction! I've been a big fan of The Host for a long while, and I've had this idea floating around in my documents for a while, so I finally got around to publishing it.

That being said... Before you go much further into this, if you ignored the warnings in the summary but are for some reason reading them here, this story does contain abuse and non-con in a couple of chapters. Please read at your own risk.

Disclaimer: sadly, I own no one. Except the evil ones. I did create them...

* * *

Pain. Darkness.

That was all either of us had known for what seemed like a lifetime. We tried to count the days when we first got here, but we both didn't know how to keep track of time with no light from the outside giving us an indication on how much time had passed.

No help was coming for us, from my side or hers. We were sure of that.

The only thing that was at least somewhat good that came of our capture was that it brought us into agreement that no one could be trusted. Melanie thought that humans would be able to understand that it wasn't just me in here, the lone parasite. But even after I tried to talk to them about Melanie, just to prove to her they wouldn't understand, they just brought on harsher punishments because I was talking back to them, seemingly trying to escape.

 _How long do you think it's been?_ Melanie wondered to me. This was how she started off each conversation now.

I was too exhausted to even answer her. I kept my eyes closed, even though it was still dark. I could hear the faint breathing of whoever was on guard tonight. I could recognize the faces of those who most frequented our room, but I never caught more than a couple of their names; only the ones who seemed to be the leaders. The others didn't really say names around us.

I heard the voices of distant conversations, but as always I was too far away to understand what exactly was being said. Since I had nothing else to distract me from the pain, and focusing on the guard would bring back painful memories and worry on what would happen next or who would be coming next.

The voices seemed to be a little more animated than normal, and it was enough to even make Melanie try and listen in. Usually she tried to tune out the indistinct babble, but she also sensed the liveliness of the voices this particular day.

We both heard a few voices coming down the hallway to the room before the guard person did, and by the time the guard was standing we could make out the conversation now.

"…found the bugger hiking around by our building. Didn't seem to be looking for anything, but we figured it could be useful." The voice sounded proud, and it also belonged to the most violent one here. I retreated further into the cramped room, trying to make myself into a tight ball. I was hoping that they forgot a light, so this new person wouldn't be able to see me.

They both stopped outside my room, and I held my breath and peeked out from under my arm, hoping that they wouldn't want to see me. Maybe just knowing about me would be enough.

Of course, my luck was not that good.

I heard the sound of the light click on, and I recoiled and flinched away from the brightness. I could only assume that this group of humans was set up in an underground house, either one that a leader had made, or one that was pre-existing and deemed un-livable because of its lack of sunlight. Souls were not known for bothering living in places cut off from socialization.

Burying my head under my arm to shield my eyes from the light, I heard them continue their conversation.

"What exactly do you keep it here for?" The new voice asked.

And I froze. That voice.

Melanie froze as well, surfacing stronger then I had felt her in a while. But she was also afraid, and even though she could have easily broken through the wall and been able to call out, she didn't. We were both still afraid.

I dared to peek out into the bright light, but I wasn't able to confirm if the voice was truly who I thought it was. The light was glaring too much to be able to see who's hand it was in.

"Mostly just to try and get information on how to resist these bastards, and because this one seems different from the others. We had caught a couple parasites before her, but they just killed themselves. This one has a will to live for some reason. We were trying to figure out why, just because we are curious people I guess."

There was a lull in conversation, and the light shifted off my face as the newcomer turned to talk better. "Strange," he stated, waiting for the other to continue.

"We were gonna try experimenting, once we get proper tools and someone willing to do it. Also helps some of the guys blow off steam," the leader finished. "Got some people with bad tempers sometimes."

The new person just grunted, as if he knew what that was like. He then faced this way again, and my breath caught in my throat.

It was him.

Jared.


	2. Ch 1 - The Beginning

It had been just a few short weeks into my life as a human. It was tough going, mainly because of the human that still refused to be silenced in the back of my head. I had learned to deal with her; it wasn't as if she was able to control what I did. It was mostly just a constant voice that wouldn't go away.

Melanie had been quiet for the past few days, realizing that she wasn't able to break through my walls and take control back at all. I kept myself in calm situations. We seemed to have reached a mutual agreement; I wouldn't tell any Seekers about her family that was still alive, and she would get to live. It was simple, really.

I wasn't afraid of Melanie, not really. I was only afraid to live with the guilt of having skipped a host, and of knowing that I would intentionally kill her family. Melanie wouldn't go down without a fight, but I didn't know about the rest of her humans.

Even though it had only been a few weeks, I was about to have my first official day off as a working soul. True, I loved my job as a Storyteller, or professor, as they called me here; it was nice to not have to work with the same souls today.

It wasn't as if I didn't like the souls I taught or worked with. But a change in faces was pleasant. It kept Melanie bored as well, though I just tuned her out most of the time. She was never very vocal anymore, unless I heard or mentioned anything about humans or Seekers. She was much more present then.

Being a beautiful day, one of the warmest I had experienced, I decided I wanted to leave the other souls for a little while. I wanted to wait until the first part and warmest part of the day was over. I didn't like the feeling of sweat on my body, unless it was after a good exercise. I just wanted to walk and enjoy the scenery of this planet.

Melanie also seemed to agree with me. She didn't like being out during the hottest part of the day, and sweating for no reason. So we were on good terms today; she didn't have to put up with my lectures on planets, even though I could tell it actually interested her to hear about these new planets, at least a little bit, and I didn't have to put up with her constant nagging about how she hated what I was doing.

I was getting ready to head out, not carrying anything. It was just after 2pm, and I wanted to see if I could find a remote place in the forest areas of this town I had settled in, just to relax and maybe appreciate the wild life. It was, after all, one of the only planets I had been on where we were able to explore with so many other life forms. The Mist planet did have Claw Beasts, but they were not friendly and sought to kill instead of just to observe.

 _You should probably take some water._ Melanie spoke up in the back of my head. I thought about ignoring her, but it did seem like a stupid idea not to grab water.

"Thanks," I responded quickly, and she was caught off guard. She didn't bother to respond, and I grabbed my favorite water bottle, closing my door behind me and setting out for the woods.

It was quick going, and I lost track of time because I was enjoying the peace of the forest walk. Melanie lost track of our surroundings too, enjoying time without having to see one of my kind- well, body snatchers, as she still liked to refer to us. I never tried to fight her on her definition, because it wasn't worth the effort. Melanie was very stubborn.

I was the first to notice that the sun was already starting to set, casting slight shadows in the dense growth of the woods. Not thinking much of it, I turned around to head back to the house, but was alarmed when I realized I had no idea which direction I came from.

Panicking slightly, I stopped to see if Melanie had any ideas. She had lived here much longer then I had. "Melanie? Please tell me you know where we are."

 _No_ , she responded, seeming almost dazed. _I wasn't paying attention_.

I thought she might be elated that we would be lost, but she seemed nervous. From the little memories she did allow me to see, I understood she felt at home in the desert, and didn't care much for the woods. That also made my heart rate pick up, and I began jogging in the direction I hoped was out.

I knew I was hopelessly lost when the sun set, leaving the woods dark and ominous, and me still having no idea where I was. Each tree, bush, and rock looked the same to me. _Nothing to do but to settle down, I guess,_ Melanie said, and I silently agreed. I slowed to a stop, looking around for the most convenient spot. It all looked relatively the same to us, so I ended up picking up some nearby leaves, as per Melanie's instructions, to make a bed to sleep on.

Settling down, I shivered. I wasn't cold, at least not yet, but I was afraid of what could happen. Eventually, I managed to fall into a restless sleep.

* * *

Snapping branches woke me up from my sleep. I felt exhausted, like I had only just closed my eyes after walking in the woods. In my disorientation, I forgot where I was, trying to blink through the darkness and figure it out.

I was already sitting upright, searching with my eyes for the source of the noise. Melanie was on high alert too, but she could only see and hear the same things as me. I remembered my walk in the forest after Melanie started bombarding me with memories to kick me into action, to get out of this spot. She knew that whatever that was didn't sound friendly. And the sounds seemed to be multiplying, coming closer...

Suddenly, there seemed to be people everywhere. There was no way to tell if they were souls, or human, but they certainly didn't look friendly.

 _Humans,_ I thought in a sickening panic. Melanie perked up at the thought, and she didn't seem to register the deathly glares in each of their eyes. Dawn was approaching, and a slight light was leaking to the woods, just enough that I could make out a few features, a few expressions.

 _Humans!_ Melanie exclaimed, her emotions running high enough to almost break through my own. _I'm not alone!_

I gritted my teeth to keep Melanie's words from escaping. This wasn't good, for either of us. I knew of a way to end my life now, but that would kill Melanie. And even though we hated each other, I couldn't make myself do it. I knew the person in here, and that would make me a murderer, both for taking my own life and hers. And I already felt guilty enough that I had to keep her prisoner in here; I wished that we could both live on this planet, free in our own bodies.

I decided then that I would remain silent. They probably wouldn't want to hear from me anyway.

"What should we do, Daniel? Kill the disgusting thing now?" I turned to the voice, and it came from a particularly angry looking man, with hair tied back and out of his face. The light cast dark shadows on his face, making his features harder to make out.

The one who must have been Daniel spoke up from across the circle of humans with a sharp no. I managed to count six of them, my panic growing steadily by the second. Melanie got more and more excited, her thoughts wandering to her humans, thinking if this means that they could actually be where she thought they were. I ignored her memories this time, even though she completely forgot to put up her defensive walls around those memories she tried so hard to keep from me. I caught quick glimpses of a face, putting the name Jared to it quickly; he was the one we were dreaming about every night.

However, I pushed these thoughts away and back at Melanie almost as quickly as they came, realizing she would be no help in this situation. I was on my own against a circle of angry humans.

"No," Daniel said again, and I faced him. He was larger, and I could see the strength he had. I felt my body tremble, though I was just hoping that they couldn't detect this.

"We should bring it back," he continued, looking at me with a new expression; curiosity. "She isn't doing the same thing the others were. Maybe once we get the right person or tools, we can learn from it."

I shivered involuntarily, gasping in air as I registered his words.

Another voice spoke up, "I like that idea. Perhaps one of the others has someone that is experienced with this. We should contact them."

Murmurs of agreement rippled across the circle, and the one called Daniel stepped closer to me. I flinched away from him, backing away on my hands and back. I didn't take into account the humans that were behind me until I ran into one. The human made a disgusted noise, grabbing my arm so hard I couldn't help but cry out. He pulled me to my feet, and then roughly pushed me back into Daniel.

Daniel caught me and spun me around to face him. I held my breath, willing myself to not look at him, fearing that would only anger him more.

By now, Melanie also seemed to have grasped the danger of this situation. She was uncharacteristically silent, waiting for Daniel's next move. I had a quick thought to try and escape his grasp and run, but Melanie flashed a quick reminder of the other five humans waiting for me to make a move. _No point,_ she said in a small voice.

Raising his hand, I first felt the rush of wind before the stinging pain Daniel's hand made as it came across my face. I felt my head snap back, and drew in a quick breath of pain.

"Alright, let's take her back," Daniel finally said, seemingly satisfied. He tossed whatever weapon he had in his hand on the ground, letting someone else pick it up, and he grasped my hair with his now free hand and started dragging me along with just that one hand.

I followed his hand, trying to minimize the pain. As we continued this way through the woods, though having already lost my bearings last night I had no idea where we were going. I could only hope that someone would notice my absence, and be able to track me to where I was going. It was now that I vaguely thought I should have left a note in my house indicating where I was going... Something, anything that would help them find me.

After dawn had come and gone and the sun was finally past the peak, I sensed that we must be getting close to their hideout. Confirming my thoughts, we stopped, and Daniel finally let go of my hair. I stumbled around, off-balance, and I felt someone else grab my arms from behind. They didn't say a word, wrenching my arms behind my back and tying them at the wrists with rough rope.

Once my hands were bound, the person released me. I tugged at the rope a few times, but they barely left it loose enough for circulation to continue, let alone give me opportunity to get them free.

My eyes were next, and I didn't expect them to touch me again. I jerked away when another person went to grab me, an involuntary reaction. The result was a blow to the head, and I saw it coming out of the corner of my eye. Another one of the guys came forward, fist raised, and he grabbed my shoulder and drove his fist into my stomach in one swift motion.

I felt the air rush out of me, and I fell to my knees, gasping for breath. The one who had the blindfold took the opportunity to tie it around my eyes tightly, leaving no possible space for me to see.

"I don't want to take any chances," someone said to my right. Another murmur of agreement rippled through the humans, and I wasn't prepared for a second blow to my head.

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A/N: Hey there! If you like what you read, if you don't like what you read, let me know! I thrive on reviews! It will only help me get better! Any suggestions? Let me know!


	3. Ch 2 - Questions

Ch. 2 – Questions

I woke up feeling very disoriented and sore. My hands were still bound behind my back, but the blindfold was gone.

Instead of moving, I took in my surroundings. It was incredibly dark, but there were no windows. I couldn't be sure if it was dark because it was nighttime, or because there were no windows in this place at all.

Figuring there would be nothing I would be able to see, I listened. There was the faint sound of someone breathing and shifting every so often, coming from very close by. I had a guard, though I wasn't able to see them.

I was also able to hear the very faint sound of conversation, though there was no possible way I would be able to tell what they were saying.

I tried my hardest to stay still, but eventually my muscles were cramping and practically screaming for me to move and at least attempt to stretch out the kinks in my aching muscles.

Shuffling around, I drew the attention of my guard. I heard him also moving around, probably to get a look at me, and I hoped if I didn't turn around to look at him that I would also be ignored.

I stood on shaky legs, moving around my arms as much as I could. I rolled my neck, feeling several pops and almost sighing in relief.

"Hey, Daniel, the parasite's awake!" My guard shouted out into the room, and I jumped violently. I turned my back to the wall, keeping my eye on the entrance to my room, watching to see who would enter.

The room was suddenly enveloped in a warm looking glow, and the source was a bright lamp in the middle of the room where my guard was. My room was cast in shadows, and I glanced around. It wasn't big at all, and it was probably formally a small bathroom, or even a closet.

Hearing an exchanging of words at the entrance to the room surrounding mine, I shrunk as far into the wall as I could, trying to be unnoticeable.

Daniel stuck his head in the entrance of the room then, staring at me with disgust written all over his face.

 _Tell him I'm in here,_ Melanie pleaded with me, finally seeing that these humans were not going to be nice.

 _Not now,_ I thought back. There was not going to be any way that Daniel would listen. I doubted that he would ever listen, even if the truth hit him in the face.

Daniel squeezed into the little room with me, filling it up with his body. There was barely any space left for us both to walk around, but since I was not keen on standing up that was just fine.

He just looked at me for a while, and I could only imagine that it was my eyes. I could see a faint reflection of light that my eyes were casting, even in the faint glow that the lantern gave. It made me a target.

"Close the door from the others," Daniel finally said, and I cringed when he spoke, fearing the actions that could come along with his words. I could make out whoever the guard was nodding and leaving the entrance to this small room, and hear him close the second door. "Guard the outside. I don't want the others to get curious and investigate; _it_ might try to escape when the door is open, especially if it catches me off guard." Daniel spat out the word it with such hatred I gave a small, breathless squeak of fear.

I heard the door close, and Daniel grabbed me, pulling me out into the bigger room. "Alright, you damn parasite, you are going to tell me how you all do it."

My breathing rate picked up, but I didn't respond to his request. I didn't know what he was talking about, nor did I want to say anything in front of him.

As a response to my refusal to answer, I was met with a punch to the side. It knocked me sideways, and I lost my balance, twisting as I fell into a wooden chair. I knocked it over on my descent, though I didn't get to stay on the ground for long. Daniel was looming over me, and he grabbed the closest part of me, which happened to be my arm, and wrenched me up. Pain shot up my shoulder, but I ignored it, facing Daniel.

"Did you have others with you?" He asked this time, and I was caught off guard by the sudden change in his question. I was about to shake my head, but I didn't do it fast enough before Daniel swept my feet out from under me, getting the opportunity to kick at my stomach and ribs.

As I was coughing, Daniel barked the question at me again, and this time I made sure to shake my head.

He seemed to be satisfied with my answer, and he watched me as I curled up into a ball and drew in ragged breaths, trying to calm myself down. Tears were streaming down my face, though I did my best to keep quiet and not anger him more.

Daniel left the room without another word to me, and the guard came back in, ordering me to get back to the small room.

I struggled to stand up, and the guard did nothing until I was moving too slow for his liking. I didn't even see him move, he struck hard and fast, like a snake. His punch met my face, and I was welcomed with blossoming pain, faintly registering the sound of my nose breaking.

Moaning, I stumbled my way blindly back into the room. Warm, sticky blood was trickling slowly down my face, but the guard didn't seem concerned. Once he was certain that I was back in the room, he set down directly in front of the entrance, his back to me.

Using the glowing light, I caught sight of a stray piece of fabric in one part of the room. I made my way, as quietly as I could, over to it. I decided it was best to just lay down in this corner instead of moving back where I was, and I gingerly pressed the fabric to my nose.

I did my best to keep the blood contained, and once it finally stopped streaming I gently wiped at the blood that had crusted all over my face. After I was done with that, I curled back into another ball, hoping silently for rescue to come, though I had almost no hope that it would.

During the time I spent in a ball, I drifted in and out of sleep. I was awake enough to hear the shuffling sounds and muffled conversation of the guard being replaced. But I was too exhausted to make out what they were saying.

I woke up again when there was the sound of a confrontation right by the outside door. It sounded as if they were angry that I was still alive. I shuddered, bringing my legs in close to me and listening mutely.

"There are more of them out searching through the woods for it!" A voice declared, sparking an ember of hope inside me.

"They'll never be able to find this spot," another said, sounding annoyed. "You could barely find it and you know it's here!" And my hope was washed away almost as soon as it had come.

 _We do want to fight back_ , Melanie put in. She had been too shocked to be much of a presence in the fight before, and it made me angry that she only wanted to show up when it was convenient for her.

 _You're losing the battle_ , I snapped back, wishing I was able to make her go away. I was still too exhausted to give much of an effort, and my attempts to push her out were almost nothing.

Melanie angered at my comment. I saw a brief flash of Jared and Jamie cut through her anger. Before I was able to reply to Melanie, the conversation of the humans attracted my attention with their next statement.

It sounded like Daniel. "Everyone just shut up!" As the chorus of voices died down around him, he spoke up again. "I found this place first, along with my brother, so we have ultimate say. I already discussed this with him. We are going to be asking it information, and if it doesn't tell us, well, we try and force it out. And if it proves to be worthless, we can ask the other groups if they have a guy that can do something with it. I am pretty sure that big group has someone named Doc, right?"

I stiffened. There were more human colonies? I also didn't like the sound of this Doc person.

There were sounds of affirmation coming from the chorus. "Good," Daniel continued, happy he had everyone's agreement. "And in the meantime, if we get no answers, at least we have some way to blow off some steam until we find time to ask the others."

Happier, agreeing sounds. My body froze with fear at them though. I was going to be everyone's own personal punching bag, and I didn't like the sounds of that at all.

The chorus seemed to disband after that, going back to the distant, indistinct babble it was when I had first woken up.

I thought that maybe I had gotten the day off, but that idea was shot down when I heard someone outside again, talking to the guard. They wasted no time in coming into the small room with me.

This human looked a lot like Daniel, but he had a smaller build and his eyes and hair were both lighter. I assumed they were brothers. He didn't give me much time to react; he grabbed a hold of my hair, forcing me to my feet and forcing my head back.

"Tell me how to get a parasite out of a human," he whispered menacingly in my ear. When my only response was sounds of pain escaping my lips, he moved his hand to my arm instead, wrenching it behind my back at a painful angle.

"Do you know how to do it?" The pain of my arm was distracting me from my answer, though I could hear Melanie trying to shout through my lips, even to just shout no. I did my best to keep the secret safely inside of my head, and it worked, even away from Melanie, except the result was for my arm to be twisted to the point that it felt like it might snap in two.

With one last twist, he elicited a short-lived scream of pain from me. Disgusted, he threw me to the ground.

He took my chin into his tight grip, gritting his teeth in disgust. "I don't want to hear a thing out of you unless you are going to be giving answers," he said, tightening his grip so that I was sure it would add on more bruises to my already long list.

The nameless man left then, leaving me on the floor.

Things stayed the same for the next few days, or at least what Melanie and I assumed were days. People would come in, ask questions that I would stay silent for, both in fear and because I didn't know what would happen if I said anything; would they dispose of me once they had the things they needed? Would they try, and fail, to get me out of Melanie's head? I knew how crude their medical system was to ours, and they had already mentioned that no one here in this group had medical training. Melanie also realized that, in the desperation to survive, these humans were not going to listen.

On a particularly bad day, during which time one of the most violent people came in, my weak body was so drained that I decided to pull out what Melanie wanted me to from the beginning.

This man was one that frequented my room, seeming to need to have to "blow off steam," as Daniel had so eloquently put it however many days ago it was. He seemed particularly angry, and I thought it might have something to do with the faint sounds of arguing and yelling I could hear from my prison room earlier in the day.

The man came into the room, red in the face and still fuming from whatever argument had gone down in the main area of this house. He didn't bother to waste any words before he grabbed the back of my head, getting a fistful of hair as he dragged me out into the room.

He started throwing punches as soon as he had let go of my hair. I didn't have time to react like I usually did, to be able to at least block my face from any blows. I whirled to the floor, dizzy and dazed.

He didn't wait for me to recover at all, sending hit after hit and kicks at me while I was on the floor. I cried out, though it didn't help. No one heard, or no one wanted to hear.

When he finally had enough of kicking and hitting me, he retreated back, allowing me to catch my breath. After he felt he had given me enough time, and I could feel the aches and pains of my body catching up to the adrenaline, he came forward again, forcing me to roll to my back.

I didn't know what he was doing as he situated himself on my left side, pulling my arm closer. Melanie seemed to catch on before I did, throwing a half-hearted image of one of the TV shows she had watched once, one with a torture scene of someone breaking another's finger.

I nearly vomited, starting to panic. _What do I do?_ I asked wildly, starting to try to pull my arm out of his grip.

 _I don't know_ , Melanie responded groggily, also feeling the effects of the haze of pain our body was under.

Before I had any time to ask more questions, he painfully gripped my pinkie finger, twisting it in both his hands until I felt a snap. I screamed against the pain, writhing against his grip. I had never before felt anything like this, and Melanie briefly flashed back to when she had broken her arm years ago.

He grabbed my ring finger, about to do the same, when I gasped to him. "W-wait!" I cried, breathless from pain. "It's not just me in here," I said, hoping it would deter him from breaking anymore bones.

I succeeded in doing what I wanted, and he froze, looking at me. I flinched when his cold, angry eyes met mine. "What did you say?" He asked, tightening his grip on me.

Wincing, I spoke through gritted teeth, "I… the human who's body… I wear. She's still here."

Melanie stirred at my words, waiting to see how he would react.

There was a tangible silence.

"I don't believe you," he hissed through his teeth, twisting at my second finger, watching my reaction as I screamed.

 _Why?_ Melanie cried in my head, astonished. _Why didn't that work?_

I couldn't respond, in too much pain to even think about responding. He continued down my hand until he finished with the thumb, and then he unceremoniously lifted me up and dumped me back into the smaller room, leaving without another word or glance back at me.


	4. Ch 3 - Rescue?

There was no way to tell how long we were at that house, in that jail cell of a room. They did feed us occasionally, though it seemed only when they had food to spare. We were an after thought, something that didn't matter. They were kind enough to give out water every day, but it was never quite enough to satisfy. I was sure that my left hand would never be the same, though enough time had passed to allow it to awkwardly heal. I was able to use it now, at least for small tasks, without shooting pains crawling up my arm. The rest of my body, however, was a different story, riddled with bruises and aches and who knew what else. I suspected broken ribs, as did Melanie, more than a few times. There was never any end to the pain.

I sat in the haze of pain for a while, hoping that the quiet could last and that maybe I could be left to try and recover in peace. My mind, however exhausted both Melanie and I were, was on high alert. We were both waiting for the moment that the peace (as peaceful as this hellish room could be) would be broken, and that the pain would increase once more. Somehow, I drifted in and out of a restless sleep, waking with a start at every little noise.

After what felt like a lifetime of drifting in and out of semi-sleep, voices got louder and kept me from going to sleep again. My mind worked in overtime, desperately trying to listen to who it may be, listen to perceive if the voices were angry, and if I should retreat into a corner as far away as I could from the door. After close listening, I heard more voices than usual, and the last time this happened my hand had been broken. I retreated to the far corner of the small room, hoping that the shadows hid me from view so maybe they'd forget their rage if they couldn't see me right away.

 _It sounds like there are more of them,_ Melanie alerted me faintly, alarmed. I listened more carefully, and I had to agree. Way more than I had ever heard before, and I held my breath for a few moments, waiting to see if they were going away. Instead, they were coming closer, and Melanie instructed me to curl into the corner more. I complied, at a loss with what to do anymore. I didn't know how much more of this I could take, but I couldn't bear to destroy Melanie too. We had come to an agreement in the time we had been here. I had grown to trust her, like her, and considered her my only friend. I needed some form of company that didn't want to kill me, and I felt that Melanie deserved that too.

The door to the bigger room opened, followed by the greeting of the guard, breaking me out of my thoughts and making me flinch heavily at the sound of the guard talking. It was odd, because whoever was on guard duty usually just nodded silently to anyone wanting to come in. Change was not good, we felt, and we tensed as more footsteps came into the entrance way, also exchanging pleasantries with the guard.

A couple of people took a few steps into the room, following a momentary pause in conversation. They started talking again, and now we were both able to make out the voices. I recognized the deep, raspy voice of the one that had broken my fingers, and a couple others that had frequented the room. They brought a flashlight in with them, which was also unusual. The people who lived here normally used their senses to get around, and I felt like they didn't really want to be reminded that I was in fact a 'parasite' by being able to clearly see me. Occasionally, the light would faintly shine in from the other rooms when the door was left open, but it didn't happen often. But it didn't matter anyway; Melanie and I were used to the darkness and pain that accompanied it. I even thought it was better this way so I didn't have to see bruises on my arms, or how strange my hand must look. I always wondered if I was able to see the violence if it would be worse. For sure I would be sick, unused to the brutality of this world. I shivered thinking about it, before I gave my entire attention back to the people having a conversation. There was something vaguely familiar, yet out of place, about one of the ones talking...

I froze, and so did Melanie, when we finally were able to place a face to the voice. I almost couldn't recognize it, since it sounded gentler, more light-hearted in the snippets of memories and dreams I got, but now we were both certain. They weren't angry at all, but the voice Melanie would both recognize anywhere. An onslaught of emotions ran through my mind, mostly brought on by Melanie, and I didn't have the strength to stop her.

Jared was here. He was asking why we were being kept here. I was too dizzy from mixed emotions to hear what the other one said. Something about blowing off steam, and waiting for the right tools. And even though the light was shining in my face, making me unable to see anything in front of me except for the blinding light, it had to be him.

Once my eyes adjusted in the bright flashlight, Jared turned, confirming my thoughts that he had come. At first, his eyes registered surprise, but then hardened into anger as he let out a disgusted noise from his throat. The small simmer of hope that had been burning was extinguished as quickly as it had come, and my blood turned to ice. Of course he wouldn't be any different than the others. No amount of persuasion would convince any human that there could actually be hope for those among them as strong as Melanie.

The leader was looking at Jared curiously, and stopped short in his story. "Have you ever seen one this close before, awake?" He asked, confused, eyes glancing over to the light that my eyes reflected on the wall.

Jared nodded curtly, not taking his cold stare off of my face and looking at me in disgust. "I've seen a few up close, but that's not why I was surprised."

The leader waited, brows furrowed and confused. "Then why-"

"Because this body was once my… girlfriend Melanie."

"Oh."

There was an awkward silence after that, broken by the shifting of the leader's feet.

"I'm, ah, sorry about that. If you want, we can dispose of it-"

"No!" Jared shouted, making me jump and give out a small breathless squeak. He was looking at the leader, but glanced back at me when he heard the noise. I curled further into the corner, hoping this was all a bad dream.

"No," he said again, looking back at the man. "I'll take her-it. We'll… figure something out," he finished flatly, looking at me again, unhappy. It was an odd look for the man, since I had only seen him looking quite happy in all of Melanie's memories.

 _I can't believe… Jared too…_ Melanie sobbed in my head as she saw the angered and unhappy look cross his features, so contrasted to the happier Jared she pictured in her memories, laughing with her and looking at her in joy.

Again I couldn't respond to her, but she expected no response, too distraught. I was focused on the movements of the two men, no longer listening to their conversation. I heard little snippets, which were enough for me, mostly from the leader of this underground group throwing out suggestions for Jared.

Jared finally waved the man off. "I'll figure it out," he said again, gruff. "Can you go tell the others I came with that I'll be right out, since they're done trading and all? I can manage her…. It."

Nodding, the bigger man turned and left, leaving me and Jared alone. He continued to look at me for a few silent moments before asking in a stone cold voice, "you know who I am, right?"

I barely managed a nod without breaking down crying, but they usually hated that. That seemed to be all he needed before he came closer, and I let out a small cry, throwing my arms over my face.

I heard a small sigh come from Jared, but he seemed to stop himself, and the light clicked off. "I don't want to hurt you," he mumbled, though I could hear that he forced the words. He didn't want to harm the body, but he didn't care about the soul trapped inside.

When he got no response from me, I heard him shift closer and grab under my arms. I yelped as I was lifted from the ground and put on my feet. A soft sob escaped me, and I tried to move back away from him in the impossibly tiny room. He made another disgusted sound at the back of his throat, grabbing my arm tightly before I could get too far away. He guided me firmly out of the room, leading the way and making me follow with the tight grip on my arm.

"Before you go," a voice caught us as we were leaving, "I'd prefer if you blindfolded it."

Jared didn't make a verbal response, but I assumed he nodded. He let go of my arm and stepped out of the room, bringing the light with him into the hallway, leaving me alone with the guard. I didn't recognize who the guard was, until Jared had left me next to him.

It was the violent one was who spoke, and he came at me with a blindfold. I flinched, falling back over and crawling as far back away from him as I could, managing to escape the room, getting into the hallway where Jared was. There didn't seem to be anyone else in the hallway, though I heard their voices nearby. Jared turned at the sound of the commotion, and watched me with a hard expression on his face, though I only glanced at him before trying to back away further.

The man caught up to me easily, twisting my arms behind my back and forcing me to stand. I grimaced and made a small croak of pain, trying not to allow myself a scream. That would only encourage him, as I had learned the hard way. He was twisting hard enough to break it, so I didn't dare try and twist away from the painful grip. He handed the blindfold off to Jared, and his was the last face I saw before it was dark again.

With one last twist, I whimpered before the hand on my arms let go, and I felt an ache of pain rush up my arms. I didn't have much else time to react before I felt hands at my waist, lifting me up in a fireman's carry. I let out a small noise of terror, unsure of this new sensation of being carried. No one responded to my noise, and I wasn't comfortable, but I wasn't about to complain about it or squirm at all and end up making things worse.

In a way, I was glad that I couldn't see. I heard the greeting of other humans as Jared got outside and dumped me in the back of an already running car, but I didn't have to see the look of disgust that every human shared when they looked at me. The hatch was closed, and we got moving quickly. I couldn't tell if it was dark or not, but I could only assume darkness, or else they'd risk being seen by more souls than they would care to. We didn't tend to wander at night, so it would only make sense that humans would.

The ride felt extremely long, and there were only a few words exchanged by the people in the car. I didn't bother to pay attention to any part of their infrequent conversations. Eventually I fell into a sleep plagued with dreams of more beatings and Jared's cold eyes, so unlike the loving ones Melanie had seen most of the time.

* * *

I woke up as the car slowed down, maneuvering over very rocky terrain. I was jostled around a lot, but this part of the trip didn't last that long. The sound of doors opening, after the car had stopped, told me we had gotten wherever we were going. When we arrived at our destination, my blindfold was left on; I didn't expect anything different. I assumed it was Jared again who lifted me back over his shoulder, and we walked, me bouncing with every step he took. The walk was mostly quiet, except for a few short exchanges made by the others, too far away to really make out what they were talking about, since none were talking around Jared, until one of them got curious.

"So, Jared," one asked, "That parasite is in the body of the girl you were with?"

Jared's steps didn't falter, but I could hear the strain in his voice. "Yes," he said, feet still crunching against the dirt.

"What are you going to do?"

"Ask Doc what he thinks is possible. I don't know. I need to think about it," he answered, clearly confused.

"What about the kid?"

Melanie stirred again, feeling happier than we had before a wave of despair came back over her. _Jamie's ok, but what is he going to think when he sees us?_

 _Hopefully Jared won't let that happen,_ I answered.

 _Yeah,_ Melanie agreed, retreating back into her stupor.

The rumble of Jared's voice against my body confirmed my hopes with his answer, "I don't want to let the kid see her, especially like this." I could only imagine that he was talking about seeing his sister now with a parasite implanted in her, no longer controlling her body or mind. Because even Jared wouldn't get it.

Silence came back after that, and judging by the change in altitude and lack of breeze, we made it to where this colony of humans was hiding. The footsteps of the party with Jared echoed, wherever we were, and Melanie thought of some sort of cave.

Before we could contemplate much more on where we were, a babble of voices greeted our entrance, and I trembled slightly against Jared's back. It sounded like a lot of them.

"Jared?" One asked. Uncle Jeb's voice. This was who Melanie and Jared were hoping had a hiding spot. I guess they were right. "What you got there?"

"See for yourself," Jared said, setting me on my feet and spinning me around, though he didn't take off my blindfold.

Jeb let out a low whistle, and the conversation lulled to a dull chatter. "Well now, this sure is a pickle. Where in the heavens did you get her?"

"Casper's group found her...- it in the forest a while ago. Apparently they've been using it as a punching bag, blowing off steam."

"I see that," Jeb said, his voice now closer to me. "What do you propose?"

"I'm not sure, Jeb, but we can't let Jamie see it, not like this. Give it to Doc for a little while, maybe that will help."

"Sure, but Walt's in there now, and I don't think it'd be good for either of them to be to be with each other. I'll send Doc to Walt's old quarters. That's out of the way, and Jamie shouldn't be pokin' around in there. Take her there and I'll have Doc meet you."

I was lifted up again, over Jared's shoulder. We took a short walk, twisting and turning down different turns. Even if I wasn't blindfolded, I would have been disoriented.

We finally got to wherever I was going to be held now. I was set on what felt like an old mattress, and the blindfold was lifted from my eyes. I kept them down, taking in the bottom of my surroundings. It was sized the same as my old cell, though this room had lighter floor, dirt, and there was a spot for a bit of sun to stream down, which seemed like it was just starting to rise.

I was looking at the small stream of light, and didn't notice Jared sit next to me until the mattress moved slightly. I turned back and yelped, falling off of the bed painfully onto my already hurt leg. Undeterred, I crawled backwards until I hit a wall, burying my head in my arms and attempting to hold back terrified tears.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Jared whispered, mainly to himself. I heard the mattress shift as I assumed he stood up, and I stiffened, listening for any sign of him coming closer to me. I peeked out from under my arm, and Jared was now standing outside of the room. I looked away, feeling my leg throb in my uncomfortable position with my back against the wall, my knees brought to my chest.

There wasn't much time to think before I heard the approach of more people. They stopped outside next to Jared, and started talking. I could recognize Jeb's voice, and there was another that I assumed was the Doc. I picked my head of momentarily, looking at the three pairs of feet just outside the entrance.

"How's Walt?" Jared spoke first as a greeting to the newcomers.

"He's not doing well. Thankfully, I feel a lot better leaving him alone now that you found that morphine. But I fear he's not going to make it on that. It might be time to say goodbye…" The new voice trailed off, grief clearly heard on his voice.

I assumed Jeb patted Doc's back, hearing the sound echo slightly on the walls. "You did your best, Doc. No sense in beating yourself up over it."

Doc didn't say anything, and no one else said anything for a while, holding their own mini silent vigil for their friend.

Jeb cleared his throat after a few minutes, and I jumped violently, not expecting the sound. I looked up, and saw Jeb staring at me. My breathing quickened, and I hugged my knees tighter, flinching away from his gaze.

"Ah, well we do have something that you need to take a look at, Doc. She's in rough shape and awfully scared." Jeb said when I looked away.

I heard the men come into the room, though it wasn't really big enough to fit all of them in. Jeb stayed more so in the entranceway, giving Doc and Jared more room.

"Can we get her on the bed?" Doc asked after glancing at me. I looked away from his gaze too, trying to make myself invisible. "It would be easier to take a look at her that way." Smaller, smaller, why couldn't I make myself smaller?

Jared let out a small grunt. "You can try, but I'm not so sure that she, er…- it will like it."

"I need to help her somehow," Doc said, frowning slightly. "And I don't want to go back and risk waking Walt up to grab some morphine for her to knock her out."

"Could get some people to hold her down, I reckon," Jeb said uncomfortably from his spot.

Doc nodded in agreement. "That sounds like the best option, I suppose."

I watched them both look at Jared for a second, and he nodded, his expression set in stone. He advanced on me, and I backed away again, getting to the corner this time, fitting myself between the bed and the wall.

"Er," the doctor said, though I didn't take my eyes off of Jared in case he made a sudden movement. If I let my guard down, that was usually when they struck. "Maybe let me try for a minute?"

Jared backed up without a word, giving the doctor space to crouch down a few feet away from me so we were eye level, though I kept my gaze away from his eyes, keeping them steadily trained at his feet.

I glance at the open space between the doctor and the bed. I had a fleeting thought of running, and Melanie seemed to agree with the idea. I looked back at the doctor for a moment, and just as he opened his mouth to say something, I bolted away from him as fast as I could.


	5. Ch 4 - Help

**A/N: It took me longer than I expected to get this chapter out! It is a bit longer than the previous chapters, and it does contain a more graphic scene/flashback that contains non-con. If you want to skip over it, I will put warnings before it.**

* * *

I wasn't able to make it very far; my leg slowed me down, even though I tried to ignore the pain. I was also exhausted, and the humans were far more fit than I was.

Jared was the one who caught me, just as I ran into another human who was coming around the corner to the room, probably to investigate and satisfy curiosity.

Without missing a beat, barely giving the newcomer a glance, Jared took my arm, the one already bruised and hurting, and spun me back around with my unexpected momentum. I saw the look of surprise on Jared's face, quickly turned back into his hardened expression, as he tried to subdue me. He practically threw me to the ground, and my head met the hard rock wall, and I was stunned, spots dancing across my vision.

"What just happened?" The newcomer asked in surprise, looking from Jared to me on the ground. My head was foggy, and it sounded like he was talking underwater.

"It tried to run away," Jared said, teeth almost clenched in anger. He didn't seem to know what to do now, until Jeb came by with the doctor following close behind, looking down at me as a wave of nausea passed over me. I closed my eyes, willing myself not to vomit on these humans. Surely that would push them past their limits, if I hadn't already done that. _Stupid, stupid, stupid_ , I chastised myself.

 _Not your fault_ , Melanie retorted, just as dazed as I was. _It was the best chance you had, I think._

Jeb's voice cut through my stupor, sounding like he was standing near my feet. "Ah, Jared, maybe it would be best if you left. I'm sure Ian will be able to help us, right?"

"Oh, uh yeah, sure Jeb. I can help," the human I almost ran into responded. I heard angry footsteps pound away, and felt them through the floor.

"She's pretty terrified, Ian," Jeb informed him quietly, barely loud enough to hear what they were saying. I focused on their voices to take away from my pounding head, and the nausea that threatened me. I almost didn't catch his last words. "You're pretty good with words; see if you can get her to be a little less frightened. We want to make sure she's alright, let Doc take a look at her."

I opened my eyes when footsteps were both moving away and coming closer. Jeb had retreated, down the way I had tried to run, talking quietly with Doc. The new human, Ian, was slowly sitting down against the wall, only a few feet away.

I tried to sit up quickly and back away, but as soon as I made my first move I moaned, regretting it wholeheartedly. My head spun uncontrollably, sending a fresh wave of sickness over me.

"Sitting up slowly is probably the best idea," Ian suggested quietly from his spot, not even looking at me. I stared at him nervously, afraid he would try to come closer, but he never even glanced my way.

Eventually, I took his advice. I wasn't going to be able to protect myself from the ground. Slowly, carefully, I pushed myself up, managing to get to a sitting position without too much effort. My head was still spinning, and I closed my eyes again, drawing in a few deep, shaky breaths.

"So I know this is hard for you, and we're probably not people you want to see," Ian started after I had gotten myself up to a sitting position. "But I can assure you that I'm not going to hurt you."

I didn't respond, and didn't acknowledge his words at all. Of course he would say that. Build trust, then use it against me. I wasn't going to be naive.

"We aren't like those other people, ok? We don't hurt people for fun. Anyone who does is just a coward."

There was another pause in the conversation. The throbbing was finally subsiding, enough for me to pick my head up from where I had it cushioned in my arms. I looked over at Ian timidly, and his eyes weren't filled with anger or hatred like every other person I had seen so far. He gave me a tiny smile, and I looked away again. It had been a long time since I had seen kindness, and his words sounded sincere.

 _Don't trust him_ , Melanie said somewhere in the back of my mind. Our memories brought up a flash of another seemingly kind face, and then fast forwarding to a particularly awful beating. I shivered at the flashback, bringing my knees into my chest tightly.

 _You're right_ , I sighed at her, keeping him in my peripheral vision to make sure he didn't come closer. Melanie was the expert on humans, and I trusted her more than I trusted myself or anyone around me.

Ian made to stand up, and I flinched away from him, sliding to my left down the wall a ways, separating us more. I heard him sigh, and watched from the corner of my eye as he turned to face Jeb and the doctor. I tried to catch their words, but I moved too far away to catch all of their hushed conversation. I caught a word or two, but not enough to string together what they were saying.

I saw the doctor leave then, and Ian and Jeb continued their discussion. I felt my eyes get heavy, and against my will and better judgment I let my eyes drift close, and exhaustion took over as I fell asleep.

As I slept, my dreams consisted of the worst memories I had of the place I was in. And I couldn't escape them, they just kept coming back to back in waves until my mind would focus on each one in particular.

* * *

 ** _WARNING! GRAPHIC SCENE HERE - skip the italicized passages if you want to skip this scene._**

* * *

 _It had been a particularly bad day, not long after my fingers had been broken. Already there had been three different times people had come in, not allowing me a moment's peace unless I was knocked out. Only to be woken again by someone else._

 _The fourth to come in was the violent one again. I had never learned his, nor anyone else's, name. He rounded on me immediately, crouching low to grab me and pull me out into the bigger room._

 _We were met with the confused looks of the guard. I tried to stagger further away while the man's attention was focused on the guard, and I got to the corner of the room and crouched low, watching the scene unfold before me distrustfully. "Close the door and don't open it, or let anyone in, until I knock," the man said in a deathly quiet voice._

 _Not seeming to want to argue, but still confused, the guard nodded, shutting the door with a small click. My breath caught in my throat; this was different, and different was never good._

 _Turning back to me, the man was clenching and releasing his hands, a distracted look on his face. He was muttering under his breath, but I couldn't catch what he was saying until he came closer._

 _"…thinks there are better solutions? Took me forever to get Casper and Daniel to see where I was coming from… Not my fault we have no women here, none that aren't spoken for anyway…" He trailed off when he was only a few inches away from where I had sunk against the wall._

 _He looked at me with a new expression on his face. I didn't like it at all, and my heart raced faster as I tensed, frozen in fear as Melanie realized what was going to happen. I saw the direction of her thoughts, and a new, icy fear gripped my body, keeping me frozen in place._

 _Melanie had gotten close to having sex before, but she never had actually done it. She and Jared almost did, but reconsidered when they heard Jamie rustling around in the other room nearby. But now she saw the look in his eyes, and she connected his words to something I had never even dreamed would or could happen. Not even did I think it would happen here._

 _We didn't have much more time to think as he grabbed us and threw us out into the middle of the room. While we were dazed, he was unbuttoning his pants as he kept his gaze on us so he could make sure we didn't run away._

Move! _Melanie screamed in my head as he finished unbuttoning his pants, leaving them open but not pulling them down. I obeyed as quickly as I could, but it wasn't fast enough._

 _Halfway to the door, the man grabbed my arm again, dragging me until he pushed me against the wall on the far end of the room, near the back right corner so that it was furthest from both doors._

 _He held me against the wall, though I still tried to struggle futilely, as he reached around my stomach to get to my pants button. Fumbling with one hand, it was a slow process since I was moving around too, but eventually he undid the button successfully, though he didn't yet lower them off my body._

 _He spun me around, then used one hand to feel my chest roughly while still holding me against the wall. I clawed at his arm, trying to get him to let go, but it didn't work. I was already weak, and even if I wasn't I would have no hope of overpowering him. His other hand went down to my pants, tugging at them until the fell to my ankles._

 _I was left in my underwear, struggling to get away from his hands. With one still fondling at my chest and holding me against the wall, he brought the other underneath my underwear, between my legs and began feeling me down there, bringing his fingers across my body roughly._

 _He let out a soft moan of longing when one finger reached inside my body. I let out a sound of protest from the back of my throat, redoubling my efforts to get away despite my body screaming in pain._

 _Stopping himself, he brought his hand back to his own side again, using the other to pin me against the wall as he stopped his exploration of my chest. He put most of his weight on the hand pressing me against the wall, effectively keeping me from moving. With the other hand free again, he ripped off my underwear easily, pulling them from the front until the fabric ripped, then letting the pieces fall to the ground._

 _In a quick motion, the man pulled me a few inches away from the wall, swiftly grabbing my shirt and pulling it over my head. He put my back facing him again, allowing himself to unclasp the bra I was wearing and let it fall to the ground, leaving me fully exposed._

 _With another moan of longing, without warning he put his hand back between my legs, now sticking a finger up my body as far as it would go. I tried to suppress the cry of pain and surprise, so that it instead came out as a whimper._

 _When he was satisfied with his explorations once again, he wrapped his arm around my body, pinning me again him. With his other hand, I heard him rustling with fabric until I felt his pants sliding down against my bare body. He pressed us both against the wall, this time using his entire body to hold me there while grinding against my body. He was still in his boxers, though now I could fully feel him against me, the fabric of his boxers rubbing on my back and butt._

 _Another moan, and he took his shirt off, leaning his upper body far enough away so that he could do so, while keeping me pinned with his lower body. Now almost completely naked, he pressed against me again, so I could feel the bare skin against my own._

 _After a few more second of him groping at my chest and pulling me away from the wall again, he held me in place and struggled with his boxers. Once he was satisfied, he pulled me against him again, wrapping both arms around me while rubbing his skin against me._

 _Using his hands to spin me around, he held me against him as he kissed me roughly. When I tried to back away, he put one hand behind my head to hold me to his own, not allowing me to break away._

 _In the few minutes of kissing, he was again grinding on me. Because one hand was around my back and one was around my head, I couldn't hope escaping._

 _He finally broke away, spinning me around again to face the wall, though he still held me against his body tightly, leaning forward so his mouth was right next to my ear._

 _"I have been waiting for this for so long," he whispered lustfully, pushing me against the wall once more and unwrapping one arm from around me with one last painful squeeze of my chest._

 _With his free hand, he positioned himself between my legs. I whimpered, struggling my hardest, though he seemed unfazed by my efforts. He only wrapped his arm tighter around my stomach to keep my lower half from moving too much._

 _Once he was positioned how he wanted, he gave a quick thrust and a loud groan of satisfaction, while I felt like my insides were going to rip apart and I screamed into clenched teeth. This was different from any pain I had experienced, and it was even somehow worse than when he broke my fingers._

 _Slowly, painfully, he began pumping back and forth, all while keeping his arm tightly gripped around me. When I thought it couldn't get any worse, he doubled his efforts and thrust deeper and harder._

 _Tears streaming down my face, I whimpered, pressed against the wall, helpless. Time seemed to go by forever, until finally, with last quickened efforts that got more painful, he released into me and a fresh sob escaped my lips._

 _"So good," he mumbled as he was lost in his own bliss. After he loosened his grip, he unexpectedly threw me to the ground on my back and sat on my legs, not allowing me to move away. I managed to shift slightly, and get my left leg free, but all his weight was then on my right leg and I could feel a small pop. I sucked in breath, momentarily dazed, and he easily put my leg back underneath him._

 _The pain in my hip was forgotten when he brought a hand back down to my chest, scratching and clawing as I screamed fully now, lost in the pain. "You deserve this," he snarled at me._

 _Again, time seemed to slow, until a knock sounded from the outside of the door._

 _"This is Daniel," the muffled voice called from the door. "I know you are having your fun in there, but I need to tell you something. Now."_

 _With a sigh, the man released me, quickly throwing his shirt and pants back on while calling back "alright, come in."_

 _Daniel barely looked at me, covered in painful bruises on the floor. "The other group is here," he said, a look of slight disgust on his face. "They're going to be sleeping in your room since it's the biggest, so I need you to get your things out of there and moved into Casper's and my room for the next couple of nights. From what I understand they had a tough journey, almost got caught, so they're pretty tired and would like to go to sleep."_

 _"Sure thing," the man said cheerfully, stretching his arms in front of him. "What do you want me to do with her?" He asked, nodding his head to where I was in a haze of pain and discomfort on the floor, barely taking in any of their words._

 _"Leave her," Daniel said with another quick glance my way. "I'll have Casper come in and make her presentable once we leave. These are the guys with the doctor, but I wanted their help with a quick, nearby raid anyway before we take them to her. They're staying for 3 nights, and I'll tell them about her and propose they take it on the last day they're here, that way they don't need to focus on making that the main part of why they're here. I'd rather do some good trading first."_

 _The man nodded, ignoring me completely as he followed Daniel out of the room._

 _Once they were both gone, I curled back into myself, too much in pain and too exhausted to even cry. I stayed that way until the guard, who must have been Casper, came in, wearing the same look of disgust Daniel had been._

 _Without a word, Casper gathered my clothing that was lying near the wall. I involuntarily shuddered when he came closer, holding the shirt and pants in front of him, but I made no effort to move away._

* * *

The flashback started to fade then, and I was vaguely aware of someone screaming hoarsely. It took until Melanie faintly whispered in my head _that's you_ for me to understand. I quieted myself to only whimpers, willing myself to understand it was just a flashback.

My senses came back slowly, starting with my hearing.

"…just be careful, Ian, she's coming around, I think." The voice sounded like that of the doctor, though he sounded very far away.

"What happened?" Jeb's voice, his voice also strangely muffled in my dazed state.

"She had a flashback, I think," Doc responded, a hint of worry in his voice. "It came on suddenly, but we can't break her out of it. She's coming around now though," he added, sounding closer. "Careful, don't touch her; that may only make things worse."

My whole body trembling, I was finally aware of where I was. It all came back in a quick succession of memories, and I let out a strangled noise, halfway between another scream and a sob, screwing my eyes shut tighter.

Ian's voice sounded near my other side, away from the doctor and Jeb. "Deep breaths," he said calmly, quietly, "you aren't there anymore. You're safe here."

Trying to hold back another sob, I allowed myself to open my eyes. Ian was crouched a couple feet away on my left, while Jeb and Doc were standing a considerable distance to my right. I shuddered under their gazes, wishing they weren't staring at me.

"We aren't going to hurt you," Ian repeated next to me, firmly but not unkindly. "Whatever the other group did to you, we aren't like them."

I stared up at the rocky ceiling, thinking that maybe Ian could be telling the truth. They had plenty of opportunity while I was asleep to hurt me, to make me shut up.

 _Though, if he was telling the truth, Jared wouldn't have been so angry with us_ … Melanie thought, bringing up the image of his scowling face, his rough hand against my arm. That had emotionally hurt Melanie more than the physical pain. _Just because Ian wants to be kind, doesn't mean the rest of them will. And it doesn't mean he'll stay kind when he gets frustrated._

Another image of a different face, one from the nightmares, flashed through our mind, making me flinch heavily.

After a long time of almost complete silence, the only sound being my shuddered breaths, the three humans exchanged quick glances, and Jeb and Doc moved away, mumbling to each other, disappearing from view until I couldn't even make out the sounds of their faint conversation anymore.

"Do you think you can stand?" Ian asked, bringing himself to his feet, ignoring or not seeing me flinch again. He stretched, looking over at me expectantly. "It can't be comfortable on the floor. It'd make me feel better if you would come back and get some rest on something a bit softer."

Finally, under Ian's gaze, I shook my head once, drawing in a deep, shaky breath. I knew there was no point in trying. My aching, trembling body told me that.

"Can you grab my hand?" He reached out, stopping but not pulling his hand away when I threw my hands over my face, letting out a gasp of fear.

We both stayed frozen until I slowly lowered my hands, glancing from Ian's outstretched hand to his face.

I only made up my mind after a heavy wave of pain and discomfort crashed across my body. My hip throbbed painfully, as did the rest of my body. Slowly, I reached my hand out to Ian's, and he grasped it gently, basically pulling me to my feet on his own. Once on my feet, he loosened his grip and I stumbled, not yet having my footing, and nearly fell into Ian, though he caught me and steadied me against him.

My breath caught in my throat, not allowing anything more than a squeak of terror to escape my lips. "Sorry," Ian mumbled, backing away once he made sure I was steady on my feet. He looked at a loss as to what to do next, watching me lean heavily on the wall. I wasn't going to be able to walk back to that small room, and he knew that.

Ian looked around for a moment, then back to me. He opened his mouth to speak, but at that moment Jeb, Doc, and a third figure rounded the corner into view.

"Oh, you're up," Jeb declared cheerfully, looking happily from Ian back to me.

I ignored him, focusing on who they brought back with them. Jared and I stared at each other, though the look of loathing he had before had been replaced by something else. It almost looked like he was sorry.

"Yeah, but she can't walk back into the room," Ian said from behind me. He made his way around me carefully, trying not to make any quick movements.

"Can't we just carry it?" Jared asked, closing the small distance between us with a few quick steps, and causing me to jump back, crashing back to the ground and tucking my legs close to my chest. He stopped once I fell back to the ground, looking hurt.

"No," Ian said flatly, glaring at Jared.

"That's going to be the only way we get her back in there," Jeb pointed out. He gave Jared a significant look, who sighed.

Jared came to sit beside me against the wall as Ian had before. He didn't look at me at all though, he just stared straight ahead.

"If you're in Mel's body," he began stiffly, "you must have some of her memories. You'd know I'd never lay a hand on her, or anyone else."

I didn't answer him, looking through the flashback of memories. He wasn't lying, I knew that, as Melanie constantly reflected how kind and gentle Jared had always been towards her and Jamie.

"Jeb wants…" A cough from Jeb, another sigh from Jared. "We all want to help you, not hurt you. I know you've heard that a lot by now, but we are all telling the truth. So can you let me and Ian help you back? I don't… I don't want to make you uncomfortable, so you can tell us if you want to stop…" He trailed off, at a loss as to what else to say.

Reluctantly, again my body aching from the hard ground and falling over again, I nodded once. I didn't know if anyone saw me, but Ian beckoned Jared off the floor. Jeb and Doc, seemingly satisfied, again rounded the corner and left to give us room.

Jared dusted off his pants before turning to face me. I stiffened, watching both Jared and Ian as carefully as I could. They looked at each other, and Ian nodded.

"Here, take my hand again, alright? We should get you back on your feet first." He slowly extended his hand, and I uncurled myself from my position, placing my hand in his. He carefully lifted me, not letting go of my hand until I seemed steady. "Good?" He asked, loosening his grip. I nodded tensely, and he let go.

"We aren't going to do anything, or touch you, without asking first, ok?" I gave another quick nod, my head already swimming dangerously from standing up. I leaned against the wall like I had before, weak on my feet.

Ian gave a calm nod, glancing from Jared back to me. "Alright, so we're probably going to have to brace you on both sides… Is that alright? Unless you are ok with one of us carrying you…" He trailed off his question when he looked at my face; wide-eyed, I shook my head as quickly as I dared, feeling the blood rush out of my face. Nothing good ever had happened after being carried, not here and not at the old place.

"Right," he said, "helping you walk it is. One of us can help you, and the other can be behind you to make sure you don't fall. That way, there is minimal contact but you'll still be fine if you fall. Is that ok?"

A quick nod from me as I took a deep breath, preparing myself.

"Ok, do you prefer if I help you, or Jared?"

I froze, gazing back up between the two. Ian had a soft look in his eyes, but the thought of having Jared behind me where I couldn't see if he was getting agitated seemed like a terrible idea. Melanie made no protest to my thought; despite all that had happened, she craved to be able to touch Jared again, however strained the touch may be.

I made a small movement indicating Jared, hoping that Ian would understand what I meant. It seemed he did, because he nodded at Jared.

I tried my hardest not to flinch as Jared came closer, so I shut my eyes until his footsteps came to a stop right beside me. I looked up slowly into his face, still flinching when I met his eye. His surly look was gone, replaced by something that seemed almost curious, yet still hard and cold. I shuddered slightly, but I leaned off the wall, barely managing to not fall over. Jared saw my stumble, and he placed one of his arms around my back, holding me steady again. I shook under his touch, nearly cringing away from it, but managed to stop myself.

Ian came around behind Jared and I, and it was he who murmured the soft "ok" that signaled we should start walking. I initiated the first step, and Jared kept a slow pace by my side, his arm steady yet gentle against my back, despite my trembling body and unsteady gait.

The three of us made slow progress, but no one commented on our pace. The only words that were said were Ian's occasional quiet ones of encouragement. I mainly blocked him out, focusing more on the pressure of Jared's arm against my back, preparing myself to get out of his grasp quickly if it became harsh.

Because I hadn't gotten very far on my feeble escape attempt, the walk actually didn't take terribly long, but it felt like forever in my exhaustion. When we reached the entranceway, Ian sidled in first, nodding to Jared, who stopped, causing me to stop as well.

"You aren't both going to fit easily through, so is it alright if I help you the last few steps? Jared's just going to stay in the entranceway," he added, seeing my nervous glance at Jared. I nodded, and immediately his arm left my back. Ian replaced him as quickly as he had left, and we made it to the bed. I crawled into it, leaving Ian's side, turning to face him again. I didn't feel comfortable enough to lay down yet, not with Ian so close and Jared staring from the entrance.

Giving me a small smile, Ian backed away, blocking Jared from my view when he turned back to face me. "Lights will be going off soon," he said, gazing up to the ceiling where a light was attached. "Someone will be here at the entrance, so don't worry. Just let whoever it is know if you need anything."

He didn't wait for me to answer, leaving with Jared out of sight. After a few minutes, hearing their footsteps and murmured conversation die away, I allowed myself to curl in a tight ball on the bed, and almost as soon as I closed my eyes I had fallen fast asleep, finally being on something that felt good against my aching body.


	6. Ch 5 - Healing

**A/N: Hello! I am unsure if anyone is still going to follow this story after my incredibly long hiatus from writing (I apologize deeply!) I've actually had a draft of this chapter written for a while, but I don't know... something still doesn't feel satisfying about it, so I'll probably update it when I get the chance.**

 **But anyway... I'm almost done with college, so I'll have a lot of time to devote to this story. I haven't forgotten about it, I promise! Things are really stressful right now, but I'm glad I get the time to write this and I know this is probably a more boring chapter, which is probably why I am so unsatisfied with it... but now I'm rambling, sorry!**

 **Enjoy!**

When I woke up, the first thing I realized was that I was not alone. I saw a figure sitting with his back to me, just inside the entrance. It looked like the one that had helped yesterday; Ian. Though, in the semi-darkness I wasn't entirely sure. He seemed relaxed enough, which was a good sign. He seemed to sense my watching him, or maybe I had shifted in some way, but he turned around and made eye contact.

I bolted up, retreating to the corner of the bed, barely managing to stay on the bed. My head swam with the sudden movement, making me feel dizzy. I ignored that, focusing instead on calming my pounding chest. My breaths came out in short gasps, though I tried to keep them quiet. Melanie was very present in my head, trying to stay as alert as she could through the fogginess of the terror in my head.

I heard a slight sigh, and he stood up with something in his hands. It seemed to be a tray of some sort, with what smelled like food on it. There was also a bottle of water. Now that he was in light of a lantern on the floor instead of in the shadow of the entrance, I was able to see that it was in fact Ian, which made my beating heart relax a tiny bit. At least he had been kind before, so there was a chance he would be kind again. But my past experience made me wary, and I didn't move until Ian had retreated back to his spot in the entrance-way, leaving the tray near me on the floor.

 _What's the likelihood of poison?_ I asked Melanie, eyeing the water. I was extremely thirsty, and my mouth was pleading for the water, even just a small taste.

 _I'd rather be killed by poison than by dehydration_ , came her response. I almost laughed.

I grabbed the water once Ian was sitting again, though this time he sat sideways, probably to keep an eye on me. I didn't care, and I drank the water. It took all my willpower to not drink it all in one breath. I took as much time as I dared, but I was so desperate to get the water in my body. I could feel it landing in my empty stomach, and while that didn't feel great for my nausea, it felt pretty amazing to have some water.

Once the water bottle was empty, I set it down on the tray and retreated back into the corner. My stomach made an unpleasant lurch at the sight of the food, so I ignored it for now.

I sat in silence for a little while, trying to look everywhere except at the food or at Ian. I was lost in thought with Melanie when Ian started talking to me.

"I don't know what you know about humans," he began. "But I can imagine it's about as much as we know about… whatever you are."

I looked at him, confused. It almost seemed as if he was looking out at something else in the hallway. I wondered if he was even talking to me, but he continued.

"For instance, the only thing I know for sure about whatever you are is that you need a body to survive. I don't even know what you are called."

He paused then, maybe looking for a response. When I didn't answer, he continued.

"I've always been curious as to what you think about humans. As a complete entity anyway, like what your species as a whole thinks of humans as a whole. Of course, it seems neither of us has a high opinion of the other in general."

He stopped again, glancing at me. I didn't look away this time, wondering what exactly he was saying. Was he actually trying to hold a conversation with me? I looked to Melanie for answers, but she seemed just as stumped as I was, for the time being. If he wasn't talking about souls, we would have both agreed he was talking to himself and was just psychotic.

"But there are always outliers, you know? I, for one, cannot bring myself to hate you just because you are a parasite. I mean, maybe you asked to be here, maybe not, but it _is_ part of what you do, right? You can't blame another species for wanting to survive. At least you aren't a Seeker. You don't seem like one, anyways. Those are the worst parasites."

"Souls," I managed to croak out, unable to hear him give us his cruel name any longer. It wasn't that it entirely bothered me; after all, Melanie had used the same term when I was first with her. But after knowing how humans acted, and seeing the wriggling bug that was actually very annoying and vengeful, I didn't like hearing myself being compared to a parasite.

Ian looked at me, surprised.

"We're called souls," I repeated, slightly more audible this time, shocked at my own boldness. I seemed to startle Melanie too, as she searched for something to reprimand me with, to remind me that I shouldn't get close to him. It was a bad idea. And however much I agreed with her, I still couldn't stop myself from uttering that small phrase. Ian just seemed... easy to talk to.

 _Stop it, you're going crazy! Just because they're showing you some kindness does not mean that they are going to keep you around, or help you, or whatever! I don't want to get hurt again! Remember what happened last time you spoke up and corrected someone!?_ Melanie berated me in my mind, and I flinched, but only because I saw the truth in her words. She sent a flash of a memory, and though it was fleeting, it got it's point across. I shivered involuntarily.

He nodded then, smiling slightly. "Alright, souls then. I guess that does sound less… harsh than calling you a parasite. That's what I've been used to calling you guys, so I apologize."

I didn't respond, both me and Melanie expecting him to come at me in anger for talking back. Instead, I brought my knees closer to my chest, looking back down at the mattress.

"So anyway, soul. I don't want to call you that, it would be like you calling me 'human.' Which I guess you might do anyway, but I don't want to be mean. Do you have a name?"

I contemplated answering for a while, and Ian seemed to be content just waiting to see if I'd answer. I snuck glances at him once in a while, checking to see if he was going to show any signs of violent behavior.

Against Melanie's protests, I figured it would be alright if I told him. He didn't seem like he was going to snap at me, at least not yet, and I was a considerable distance away if he did decide to lash out.

 _Why do you trust him?_ Melanie asked, slightly disgusted.

 _He's not like the rest,_ I responded, surprising myself. I wanted to trust my instincts and believe that he was different. He seemed different. But I couldn't help but think that sounded very naive of me. Even so, I decided I wanted to talk to him. It was so... nice, in a way, to hear a physical voice that was calm and not yelling at me or calling me names. I clung onto that, and tried to keep him talking for as long as I could. It was stupid to crave his voice, and I knew it, but I didn't want to admit it to myself.

"Wanderer," I finally whispered. I wondered if he heard me, but he smiled again. It wasn't a menacing smile like I was used to seeing, and it made me feel slightly calmer.

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid._ Melanie chanted the word over and over at me.

 _What if this was Jared?_ I asked her, bringing his conflicted face from my memory of our last encounter. _Would you want me to talk to him? Wouldn't you trust him?_

Silence from her. I knew I had won this short battle, but she'd come up with another excuse.

"Wanderer. Interesting," he noted, stretching out his arms in front of him. That seemed to be the end of our short discussion though, because there were footsteps coming from down the hallway. I watched nervously as the doctor and Jeb came into view, with another shadow of someone else behind them.

"Hey Ian," the doctor greeted. "How are things?"

"Fine," he responded, looking back into the room at me. "I was just talking to Wanderer," he said, gesturing over to me.

Jared's sharp voice cut through the air, though I couldn't see him. "You're giving it a name?" He asked harshly, making me flinch, and I tucked my head against my knees at the sight of the newcomers.

No, I guess we couldn't talk to Jared. He was still too upset.

 _Only because he doesn't know I'm in here,_ Melanie thought to me, but she seemed to be trying to convince herself more than me.

I saw Jeb turn out of the corner of my eyes, frowning at Jared. "Jared, you either are civil or you leave, you hear?"

I couldn't see how Jared responded, but he didn't say anything else.

"Alright, Wanderer then?" The doctor asked, stepping around Jeb and Ian to stand in the entrance way. "Can I come in?"

I sat frozen where I was, my breathing quickened a little bit. It was times like these that I wished I could make myself smaller, invisible. I almost envied Melanie's position.

It seemed like he took my silence for a positive response as he made his way closer to me. I tensed in my tight ball, eyeing him cautiously.

"I just want to make sure you don't have any serious wounds, I promise," he said. "I am a man of my word. But I think the other group did a lot of damage to you, physically and otherwise," his sentence trailed off under his breath in the end, almost causing me to miss his last few words. He stayed standing a considerable distance away from the bed, waiting to see how I would react to him.

I stared at him nervously. I didn't make a move. I watched as Ian came closer too, leaving Jeb and Jared at the entrance.

"I'll just use my eyes to see if anything looks terribly bad, like a bone out of place or an infected cut. Or you can tell me if anything feels bad, if you want." He continued, waiting for my approval. It was different to me, having people ask for permission. Of course, it was also weird to have them care about my injuries.

I didn't particularly want to be poked and probed by a doctor, since Melanie's memories had given me more than enough information on what humans did for healthcare. She had only broken a bone once, but that had taken weeks to heal, in an uncomfortable cast. Through Melanie's experience, I figured my right hip was dislocated, and I knew my entire left hand's fingers were broken, but they had healed awkwardly already. My ribs always ached, and I suspected they were broken. Everything else just throbbed painfully, but I didn't think it was broken or damaged too badly. At least not damaged in a way that anyone in this cave would be able to fix it, because I doubted the doctor really had anything that could deal with a broken bone.

Ian and the Doc seemed to be waiting for my answer, but I couldn't bring myself to give them one for what felt like a very long while. The three of us sat in silence until Jared and Jeb had left the entrance, though I couldn't be sure if they were still within earshot.

The silence dragged on. My insides grew to knots underneath the gazes of Ian and Doc, and it became apparent that they weren't going to leave me be until I answered them one way or another. And I knew I would be prolonging the inevitable if I didn't let Doc get it over with now, or maybe he'd just get angry with me. It seemed like it would be safest now, with Jared out of the room and Ian still here. Doc and Ian seemed to be the kinder ones here, and Jeb too, but I knew Jared would stare at me with his cold look if he were still here. Truthfully, I was hoping the Doc would give me something make the throbbing in my head and leg go away, and then maybe give me something for my still—aching fingers.

Silently, I glanced at the two to make sure they were still paying attention, and I gave a quick nod. After speaking earlier with Ian, just those few words made me feel exhausted.

 _It didn't help that Jared was a jerk about it right afterwards_ , Melanie spoke up quietly, reflecting on his comment to Ian just a bit earlier. Silently, I agreed with her, though I kept my attention on Ian and Doc.

Doc took a deep breath, and it seemed he was debating what to do. It seemed he made up his mind, and he beckoned at Ian to do something. Ian ducked outside the entrance for a moment, and it looked like he was reaching down to get something.

"Ok, Wanderer, if you could just stretch out your legs in front of you, and slide to the edge of the mattress, you can just stay sitting and just follow my instructions, ok?" Doc asked, his voice changing into a more professional one, his mind seeming to go into doctor mode.

I followed his instructions slowly, trying not to wince as I stretched my legs out. I scooted out to the end of the mattress, looking warily over at Ian, who was handing the doctor a black bag. Doc rummaged around in it, bringing out a stethoscope. He held it in his hands for a moment, calculating what to do.

"I think we'll start with your heart and lungs, ok?" He asked, holding the stethoscope slightly higher. "It will alert me if there are any signs of serious infection or any breathing problems, and it is pain free. The only thing I need to do is place this stethoscope on your chest, and the only thing you need to do is breathe in and out for me. Is that alright?"

Nothing scary, at least not yet. I nodded my head again, steeling myself as he shuffled a few steps closer so that he was within arm's reach. Ian followed him as well, not taking his eyes off of me. He saw me watching him, and he gave me an encouraging smile, but it did nothing to ease the trembling in my body or the tension I felt. I was sure my beating heart would not help this doctor figure out if there was anything wrong inside.

Doc put the stethoscope around his head, locking eyes with me for a split second. "I won't sit on the bed, but I'll just stand right here for now," he informed me. I gulped, looking away as his hand came steadily closer. Within choking and punching and grabbing range.

I knew I was shaking like a leaf, I could feel it, and so I looked away, hoping to ease some of my fears that he was going to hurt me. I shut my eyes tightly as the stethoscope came into contact with my shirt, barely managing to contain myself from jumping away from the touch. Still, I flinched heavily, my heart and mind racing and doing nothing to solve my throbbing headache.

The stethoscope moved around a little bit, and through the blood roaring in my ears I could hear Doc mumbling a few things to Ian. I didn't catch any of his words, but soon the stethoscope was off my chest. "I'm going to put it against your back now, ok?" I vaguely heard Doc say, and I nodded numbly, this time unable to stop myself from jumping when it touched my back.

"Wanderer, I need you to breathe in nice and slow for me," Doc said gently, and I tried my best to listen. I took another short, shaky breath before I concentrated. I could hear someone whispering "breathe in, hold it, breathe out," a couple times, and I focused on the voice as I followed its instructions a couple of times.

Soon, Doc removed the stethoscope, and I allowed myself to open my eyes. He was giving it back to Ian, who placed it back in the bag. "Everything seems good so far," Doc informed me, and I stayed silent. He took a step back, allowing me to relax a little bit, and he beckoned to Ian for the paper and pen that he had in his hands. I hadn't noticed it until now, but I assumed that was why Ian was still here. Ian handed over the paper and pen, also taking a couple steps back.

"Do you have any problems with your head, Wanderer?" Doc asked me, still in his professional mode. Slowly, I allowed myself to nod. He asked where, and I reached up with one hand, pointing out where I had hit my head on the wall when I tried to run and Jared had tackled me. "Headache with it?" He asked, and I nodded. He nodded absently as well, writing something down on the paper. He seemed satisfied with that, and looked at me expectantly.

"Alright, just one more thing before I leave you to rest. Are there any other things that hurt that you think need my attention at all?"

I considered telling him no. But in the back of my mind, I knew that it would never get better. In fact, even when I didn't put weight on my leg now it would throb. Eventually, I decided it would be better to have Doc at least take a look at it.

Nodding was safest, so I nodded to him. I indicated to my leg with a small gesture, and watched as Doc's features etched into a small frown. "Can you stand on it?" He asked, and I shook my head slightly. It was too painful at the moment. Now that the adrenaline was no longer coursing through me at every second, the pain was nearly overwhelming, past the throbbing in my head, hand, and hip.

Doc made a small 'hmm' noise, taking a step closer again. "Is that the only other thing?"

Carefully, I held up my mangled looking fingers. They were still bruised, but they no longer looked swollen.

Letting out a very quiet, low whistle, Doc came closer so he could look at my hand. He asked me to move each one, and I did the best I could. I kept a close eye on his body language as I did so, making sure he wouldn't do anything. At one point, he seemed to get lost in looking at my hand, and he reached out to take my hand in his, but I withdrew quickly, my breath quickening. His hand was left hanging in midair, and he looked at me with an apologetic face.

"Sorry," he mumbled softly, stepping back. "I don't think they need to be taped, but they look like they healed a little incorrectly. Not much I can do about it here…" He trailed off, and I let my hand gently rest on the mattress again, shuddering slightly, though it didn't have anything to do with the pain.

"I'll look at your leg now," Doc said softly, and I nodded absently, doing as he was instructing me and laying down on the mattress, my right leg on the edge closest to Doc. "Do you have a localized spot that is the most painful, or a spot that is causing the pain?"

I nodded again, pointing to my hip. He nodded as if he were expecting this answer.

"Dislocation…" Doc said under his breath, mostly to himself. "Ian, can I have my bag?" He asked, louder this time. Ian handed him the bag, and I tried to concentrate on my breathing while Doc rummaged around for what he wanted. I briefly looked at Ian, because I could feel him staring at me, and he was studying me carefully. I thought I saw concern on his face, but Melanie and I both shook that thought off after a few moments when his features transformed and hardened into one of mild disgust.

Totally absorbed in my own thoughts for the moment, I let my guard slip, not realizing that Doc had finished looking around in his bag for what he wanted until I saw him move in my peripheral vision; coming closer. He had something in his hand.

My mind froze for a split second, my breath catching in my throat. Hand raised, the human figure loomed over me like one from my nightmares, and my mind went numb to reality, falling helplessly into more flashbacks.


End file.
